CSSC Haizhuang Wind Power, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), has rolled out the nacelle of the H260-18MW offshore wind turbine prototype.
The H260-18MW has a rotor diameter of 260 metres and an individual capacity of 18 MW, making it the largest and the most powerful wind turbine currently on the market or under development.
The model took the top spot from MingYang’s MySE 16.0-242 wind turbine and the 16 MW model jointly developed by China Three Gorges Corporation and Goldwind Technology.
According to CSSC, 80 per cent of the turbine’s components have been sourced from within the group, including the major components such as the blades, the gearbox, and the generator. This localised approach has been implemented in order to avoid possible supply chain bottlenecks, the company said.
The H260-18MW has a sweep area of 53,000 square metres, equivalent to around seven standard football pitches.
At full wind speed, 44.8 kilowatt-hours of electricity can be generated per revolution, and a single unit will be able to produce more than 74 million kilowatt-hours of clean electricity per year, which can meet the annual electricity consumption of 40,000 households, the company said.
A 1 GW wind farm would feature 13 per cent less wind turbines if the H260-18MW units were used instead of a 16 MW model, according to CSSC.